Not Getting in is not the End of the World

Spring semester must be the busiest time of the year! I
feel like I just started my spring classes a few weeks ago, and
here I am preparing for finals. It is also the time people
have just received their letters for vet school! Congrats to
everyone who applied, and an extra congrats for those that got
in!

On a lot of the tours I give, I am encountered with a lot of
"what if" questions from concerned parents and potential students.
Because so many people are now faced with pressing what if
questions, I wanted to address some of them with my own personal
and professional opinion!

Q: What if I don't get into vet school?

A: Don't worry! First off, take a breath. Is
this your first time applying? I have met some people who got
in the first time, and some who took six times to get in. The
average number of times applying to vet school before getting in is
about three, so don't worry! The first step is to figure out
why you didn't get in. Our admissions advisers offer a range
of dates to review your application with you one on one and go
through what needs improvement and what was fine. After
knowing what you need to work on, you can spend the next year
improving it! Grades? Apply for a master’s program or
alternate education to bump up your GPA. Experience? Contact
vets from around the area. Someone will be open to letting
you shadow or even work as an employee!

Q: What if I decide I want to go to med
school/dental/nursing etc. instead of vet school?

A: What's great about the BIMS undergrad program is that
it primes you for almost any professional field. All (or a
majority of) the classes that are required for medical and
veterinary school are required with a BIMS degree. It is
already part of your curriculum, so knowing that you don't need to
take any extra classes is a relief! Your next step is to set
up an appointment with a professional school adviser. They
can direct you in terms of testing, shadowing, and any other
qualifications required for med school. Something to be aware
of: the earlier you realize you want to switch your path, the more
time you will have to focus on that career goal. This means more
time to study for the standardized test as well as more time to log
some hours!

Q: What if I don't have a lot of shadowing hours from high
school?

A: There are many opportunities to shadow here in the College
Station/Bryan area. The vet school provides many different
opportunities with animals, vets, and vet techs. There are
two main types of shadowing to focus on, which include shadowing
hours specifically with a vet, and experience hours that
essentially include anything involving handling or working with
animals. Veterinary hours must be gained specifically with a
vet, but you can shadow large animal, small animal, exotics, etc.
As far as animal experience goes, this can be a lot of
different things, ranging from showing animals, fostering, being a
ranch hand, and even animal ownership (max of 100 hours).
You'll have up until October 1 of the year before you want to
be admitted to get these hours! They can't be earned
overnight, it'll take some time to rack up enough hours to be
competitive, but just a few hours each week adds up!

Q: What if I'm not a good test taker? I'm really nervous
about the GRE.

A: The GRE does play a big role in terms of getting an interview
and being admitted. Good news—there are plenty of classes to
help you out. I personally could not afford the classes, so I
found some other cheaper options that ended up helping me out a
lot! A bad GRE score is not the end all of things, it can be
compensated with a higher GPA/a lot of experience etc. If you are
also qualified with the ADA, the GRE can be accommodated for your
specific needs! Something that a lot of the vet schools offered me
(including Texas A&M) was a type of "calculator" that helped me
predict what I should get on the GRE based off of my grades and
experience in order to make me competitive. This gave me an
actual number to focus on, as well as an idea on where I was
ranked.

These have been some of the most popular questions I have been
asked. I don't have all the answers, so, ultimately, any
concerns one has should be directed to an adviser!

This will sadly be my last blog update for the school year, so
best of luck to everyone with school!